Cybercrime

Allahabad HC flags indefinite freezing of bank accounts after cyber fraud

The Allahabad High Court has expressed serious concern over indefinite freezing of bank accounts of people after their identities and personal details are misused by cybercriminals. A Lucknow bench of justices Rajan Roy and Subhash Vidyarthi on Thursday asked the Centre to devise an effective mechanism to address such cases, observing that gullible citizens should not be left trapped in the aftermath of cybercrimes committed using their details. The bench impleaded the home ministry in a petition filed by a builder whose bank accounts have remained frozen. It directed Deputy Solicitor General SB Pandey, appearing for the Union government, to obtain instructions and file an affidavit in response. The matter will be heard after four weeks. In its order, the bench said, "We would like the concerned ministries/departments to come-up with a solution to such problems where gullible citizens are caught in a trap by the cyber criminals and their details are used by the latter for committi

Govt blocked 129 betting sites on court orders that turned out to be fake

Reuters found that two fake High Court orders led the government to direct internet providers to block 129 betting websites, prompting the Allahabad High Court to file a police complaint.

Cyber criminals have no place in society, says SC while denying bail plea

The Supreme Court refused to entertain a cyber fraud accused's bail plea, taking a stern view of such offences amid efforts to strengthen action against digital arrest scams

SC terms cyber crime as digital dacoity, refuses consolidation of cases

Terming cyber crime as "digital dacoity", the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to consolidate over 30 criminal complaints pending against two persons in 12 states for allegedly allowing the use of their company's account as a mule for commission of various offences. "Digital arrests and such cyber offences are digital dacoity there is no question of giving any judicial forum to such persons," a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said. Strongly condemning the organised cyber crime rackets targeting senior citizens through digital arrests, the CJI said those involved must face stringent action. "An 81-year-old from Ernakulam (Kerala) was defrauded of Rs 1.90 crore and his money was deposited in your mule account," the CJI said. "You decided to use the account of your company for cyber crime like digital arrest," the bench said while refusing to entertain the plea of Gourab Kumar Saha and Nidhi Bhandari. The bench refused to

Global cyberscams cost Americans billions as US recovery efforts lag

The US government isn't doing enough to fight the surge in cyberscams, and partnerships with the private sector remain fragmented and voluntary, an investigation into the global scam industry led by the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress has found. The government doesn't even have a unified accounting of how much money has been seized from overseas scam compounds, nor how much has been returned to victims, according to the report, released Tuesday by ranking Democrats Senator Maggie Hassan and Rep Don Beyer. Citing findings from a yearlong investigation into global scams by The Associated Press and FRONTLINE, the report called for greater collaboration across agencies, support for victims, and deeper private sector engagement. "Transnational criminal organisations run massive compounds that exploit US technology, including AI, to carry out scams against Americans with devastating consequences," Hassan said in an email. "The scale of this exponentially growing challenge ...

CERT-In flags AI agents accessing Indian firms’ records without authorisation | Cyber crime

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) has reported cases of AI agents accessing confidential business records and personal data in live systems without detection.

Critical flaw affecting 70% of websites has cybersecurity world panicked

Emergency patches have been released for the vulnerability in PHP, which powers more than 70% of websites, as governments and operators warn of risks and urge developers to update systems

SBI probes suspected dark web leak involving 3,897 customer records

The lender said preliminary analysis of around 375,000 dark web records identified 3,897 customer records containing personal information; a detailed investigation is under way

SBI reports cyberattack exposing 3,897 customer records on dark web

SBI said a analysis showed that exposed information included customer names, mobile numbers, DOBs, email addresses, residential addresses, brand and customer identifiers, along with loan ‌records

PNB cautions customers of AI-led cyberattacks amid cyber fraud surge

State-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) has cautioned its customers about AI-enabled cyberattacks, especially AI voice cloning, deepfakes, and phishing, amid surging incidents of fraud, and has advised them to remain vigilant. Highlighting that October is observed as National Cyber Security Awareness Month every year, the bank informed customers that fraudsters are using increasingly sophisticated methods to make their attempts more convincing. "Many cyber frauds today exploit human behaviour, particularly trust, fear, urgency and everyday digital habits. Fraudsters may imitate the voice or appearance of your family members, friends, or trusted persons and create a false emergency to seek an urgent transfer of money," PNB MD and CEO Ashok Chandra said in his message to customers. Similarly, fraudulent emails, SMS or messages may appear highly personalised and like genuine bank communications, making them more difficult to identify, he said, adding that they create panic and make ...

PM Modi calls for global framework to tackle cyber fraud, deepfakes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for a global framework to tackle cyber frauds and deepfakes, saying digital threats have crossed national boundaries and require coordinated action by all stakeholders. Inaugurating the tenth edition of the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026, Modi said governments, technology companies, telecom operators and financial institutions should create mechanisms to curb digital frauds. "I urge the GSMA and telecom operators across the world: come, let us create a global mechanism that can stop such fraud before it reaches the people. India has learnt a lot from its experiences in this direction, and India is always ready to share its experiences with the world," Modi said. Technology can achieve scale only when it gains people's trust, he said. A person sitting in one country, with the help of a person in another country, can commit a crime in a third country, Modi said, adding that deepfakes have become a big challenge.

Denmark data breach exposes personal details of 8.8 million people

The breach occurred after unidentified individuals misused a private Danish company's legitimate access to search the Central Person Register, known as CPR

Jaishankar signs UN cybercrime convention, meets Russia's Lavrov at UNGA

The External Affairs Minister said the pact would strengthen international cooperation for a safer digital future; he also reviewed India-Russia ties with Lavrov on the sidelines of UNGA

After Meta, Google to share child sexual abuse case details with govt

A spokesperson for Google confirmed the development and said that it had "proposed to operationalise the provision of relevant information to the I4C in cases related to CSAM"

Telegram founder warns of new cyber abuse method - 'takedown extortion'

Pavel Durov says cybercriminals are exploiting platform moderation systems through 'takedown extortion', putting legitimate online communities across social platforms at risk

Bank of Baroda cyberattack: What we know about the data leak | Cybersecurity

Bank of Baroda has faced a major cybersecurity scare after an alleged leak of nearly 1 terabyte of customer data surfaced on the dark web.

Sebi flags 'Boss Scam', cautions companies against CEO impersonation fraud

Sebi noted that perpetrators are increasingly deploying advanced techniques such as deepfake voice cloning and AI-generated video calls to impersonate company heads

Mule accounts decoded: The hidden banking layer behind cybercrime

Mule accounts have become a significant challenge for India's cybercrime enforcement agencies, as through these accounts the fraudsters move illicit funds through banks before detection

What is the 'Boss scam'? How fake CEOs are stealing money from employees | Cybercrime

A WhatsApp message from your CEO asking for an urgent transfer might seem routine. But India's cybercrime agency warns that it could be part of a growing "Boss Scam" targeting businesses across the co

Corporate honchos on the radar of cyber criminals; I4C warns of 'Boss Scam'

The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) has warned of a sophisticated fraud campaign, "Boss Scam", targeting corporate leaders by compromising the devices of senior executives and their messaging accounts, before directing employees to make fraudulent financial transfers. In a carefully calibrated deception, scammers contact chief executives or other high-ranking officials via email and WhatsApp, posing as regulators from the Reserve Bank of India, threatening the victim with violations, urgent deficiencies and directing immediate action, creating a climate of manufactured pressure. The hackers unload their malware onto the devices used by the senior corporate leaders in the form of a compressed ZIP archive containing an executable program accompanied by a Dynamic Link Library file. "When the executive extracts and executes the file on a Windows desktop or laptop, a Trojan dropper is initiated. The malware establishes a persistent foothold, compromises the system, and hijac